Like many rural Australia towns, Dorrigo has experienced its challenges: attracting much-needed doctors to the region, providing jobs for the community, and offering training opportunities to its younger residents. Thanks to the very generous legacy of Cyril Cork, a local ex-builder, Dorrigo is now home to a shiny new, state-of-the-art facility, purpose-built to provide the region with a much brighter future.
The project brief was to achieve a future-proofed, environmentally-sustainable community medical centre – built by the people of Dorrigo, for the people of Dorrigo. With this in mind, outside trades were only brought in as a last resort, the building uses local timber throughout, and local suppliers provided almost all other materials.
Regional Architects Pty Ltd had already used AWS products extensively in the past, for their thermal efficiency, robust low-maintenance design, reliability, quality commercial finish, and environmental sustainability. In consultation with fabricator, SGA Architectural Window Solutions, the architect achieved the desired U-Values and Solar Heat Gain Co-Efficient numbers using a combination of Viridian’s new range of Lightbridge Low-E IGUs, and AWS Designer and Commercial Series framing.
The result is a stunning, light-filled building which ticks all the boxes. Now Australia’s first services-autonomous medical centre, the project was so successful it recently won the coveted Australian Institute of Architects NSW Country Division Award for Commercial and Public Architecture 2016, as well as the NSW Country Division Termimesh Award 2016. It has also been a finalist in the NSW Business Chamber Awards for Excellence in Sustainability and Excellence in Innovation.